Latest news with #Karachi
Arab News
2 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
Pakistan concludes pre-Hajj flight operation with over 115,000 pilgrims flown to Saudi Arabia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has successfully concluded its 33-day pre-Hajj flight operation, with more than 115,000 pilgrims transported to Saudi Arabia ahead of this year's pilgrimage, the state media reported on Saturday. The country arranges special Hajj flights annually to facilitate thousands of Pakistani Muslims traveling to the Kingdom for the pilgrimage. The operation involves both government and private schemes, as well as coordination with multiple airlines to ensure smooth transit. The final flight, PK-759 from Karachi, carrying 307 pilgrims, landed in Jeddah at 6:55 PM local time, the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency said. 'Under the Government Hajj Scheme, as many as 88,260 intending pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia via 342 flights from various cities of Pakistan,' APP quoted the religious affairs ministry spokesperson, Muhammad Umar Butt, as saying. 'Similarly, over 27,000 [pilgrims] arrived in the holy land under the Private Hajj Scheme,' he added. The Hajj flights were operated by a range of air carriers including Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, SereneAir, Airblue and AirSial. The spokesperson said to support the pilgrims during the five key days of Hajj, the ministry has deployed approximately 470 coordinators, with each assigned to a group of 188 to 200 pilgrims. Each coordinator will remain with their designated group throughout the pilgrimage, helping its members during the journey from Mina to Arafat, Muzdalifah, Jamarat and back to Makkah. This year, Hajj rituals will commence on June 4, with the Day of Arafah on June 5, and Eid Al-Adha observed on June 6 in Saudi Arabia.
Arab News
5 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
Pakistan says 96% of children vaccinated in ongoing anti-polio drive
KARACHI: Polio vaccinations continued across Pakistan for the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, with 96% of targeted children receiving doses during the first five days of the campaign, the country's National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement. Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic, alongside neighboring Afghanistan. Efforts to eliminate the disease have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted during these campaigns. 'During the first five days, 96% of children across the country have been administered polio drops,' the NEOC said at the start of the campaign's sixth day. 'The vaccination campaign is underway simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan,' it continued, adding this was to curb cross-border transmission of the virus, especially in frontier regions where mobility between the two countries remains high. According to Pakistani officials, the current vaccination drive aims to reach more than 45 million children nationwide. It is part of Pakistan's intensified response following a sharp uptick in cases last year, when 74 children were diagnosed with the crippling virus. Ten cases have been reported so far in 2025, prompting authorities to step up outreach and door-to-door campaigns. According to the NEOC, provincial breakdowns so far show 97% coverage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 96% in both Punjab and Balochistan, 94% in Sindh, 98% in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 101% in Gilgit-Baltistan, where more children were reached than initially estimated. Islamabad reported 97% coverage. In Balochistan, the country's most underdeveloped province that reported 27 cases last year, local authorities introduced recreational activities such as free swings and camel rides in Quetta to attract children and facilitate their vaccination. The effort drew large crowds, allowing teams to immunize children while they took part in the festivities. 'This initiative is critically important as we enter the high-transmission season,' said Ziaur Rehman, spokesperson for Pakistan's Polio Program. 'It will play a key role in timely containment of the virus.' He urged parents to ensure that all children under five receive polio drops to protect them from lifelong disability.
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan to set up maritime chamber to boost blue economy, promote greener ports
KARACHI: The Pakistan government on Saturday announced the creation of a new Maritime Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) to promote sustainable development in the country's coastal and marine sectors, saying the initiative would help strengthen the country's blue economy while addressing rising climate risks at its ports. Addressing the Pakistan Business Council Forum, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said Pakistan's coastal zones were increasingly exposed to environmental challenges such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events and marine degradation. The new chamber, he noted, would serve as a specialized platform for uniting stakeholders from across the maritime spectrum to pursue greener policies and long-term economic resilience. 'This chamber will not only support investment and innovation in the maritime sector but also prioritize sustainability at ports, promote green technologies and foster carbon reduction strategies,' he told the participants of the forum. Pakistan is striving to strengthen blue economy by ensuring the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, jobs and ecosystem health. This requires the authorities to enhance the potential of its ports, fisheries, logistics and marine services while reducing environmental harm. The new chamber is expected to provide a unified institutional voice for sectors ranging from shipping to coastal tourism, helping to align business incentives with climate adaptation goals. Pakistan has been pushing to modernize its port infrastructure and expand its role in regional trade by improving cargo handling, digitalizing port operations and encouraging public-private partnerships. The country has also invited landlocked Central Asian states to use its ports to access global markets, aiming to position itself as a regional trade hub. The Pakistan Business Council welcomed the announcement, calling the new chamber a critical step toward building a climate-resilient and economically vibrant maritime economy.
Arab News
15 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan's finance chief stresses apolitical funding approach in meeting with World Bank officials
KARACHI: Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday called for a merit-based approach to global development financing, urging international lenders to rise above political considerations during a meeting with incoming and outgoing World Bank country directors in Islamabad. The meeting followed weeks of diplomatic friction between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, which escalated into a four-day military standoff involving fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery fire. Amid the tensions, Indian authorities lobbied the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to halt the disbursement of a $1 billion tranche to Pakistan, saying the funds could finance Islamabad's military activities. IMF officials later dismissed the concerns, emphasizing the disbursement mechanisms ensured transparency and that IMF support was intended to stabilize developing economies' balance of payments, with the funds directed to central banks rather than governments. 'The Minister ... highlighted the recent successful completion of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review and the subsequent $1 billion disbursement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), along with additional resources made available through the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF),' said a statement circulated by the finance ministry after the meeting. 'He noted that development finance must be guided by merit and objective assessment, rising above political considerations to ensure sustainable progress,' it added. Aurangzeb also praised the World Bank's longstanding support for Pakistan's economy, especially in times of fiscal stress, and reiterated Islamabad's commitment to deepening collaboration with the institution. He extended a warm welcome to Bolormaa Amgaabazar, the new World Bank Country Director for Pakistan, while commending her predecessor, Najy Benhassine, for his contributions during his tenure. A key point of discussion was the World Bank's 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF), a strategic agreement designed to guide development cooperation through targeted investments in Pakistan's critical sectors. The CPF, finalized during Benhassine's tenure, will now be overseen by Amgaabazar and aims to unlock $20 billion for the country. Aurangzeb highlighted the importance of effective implementation of the framework to fully leverage the Bank's institutional, technical and financial support. The meeting reaffirmed mutual commitment to strengthening Pakistan's economic resilience and advancing inclusive development through strategic partnerships, the finance ministry said.
Arab News
a day ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan formally initiates talks with US on ‘reciprocal tariffs' amid export concerns
KARACHI: Pakistan has formally begun negotiations with the United States over newly imposed 'reciprocal tariffs,' an official statement said on Friday, with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb holding a conference call with US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer to launch the process. The talks come after US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on a number of countries earlier this year, a move widely viewed as a setback for the global economy still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Defending the action, Trump said the tariffs were necessary to correct trade imbalances and counter what he described as unfair treatment of American goods abroad. Pakistan was among the countries affected, with a 29 percent tariff placed on its goods at a time when Islamabad is pushing for export-driven growth. Aurangzeb called the development both a challenge and an opportunity to reset trade ties in April, adding that a high-level delegation would soon travel to Washington to pursue the matter further. 'Pakistan's formal negotiations on US reciprocal tariffs kick-started between Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan's Finance Minister and Ambassador Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative through a telephonic/conference call on 30th May, 2025,' the finance ministry said. 'The two sides exchanged their viewpoint through a constructive engagement with the understanding that technical level detailed discussions would follow in the coming few weeks,' it added. The ministry said both sides expressed confidence in advancing the negotiations toward a successful conclusion at the earliest. The US is Pakistan's largest export destination, and the newly imposed duties threaten to undermine Islamabad's fragile economic recovery. According to Pakistan's central bank, the country exported $5.44 billion worth of goods to the US in 2024. From July to February of the current fiscal year, exports to the US reached $4 billion, up 10 percent from the same period last year. Nearly 90 percent of those exports are textiles, which analysts say will be hardest hit. Experts have also warned previously the tariffs could reduce Pakistan's competitiveness, especially if regional exporters such as China, Bangladesh and Vietnam redirect more goods to Europe, intensifying competition in alternative markets.
